North American mink crop seen even

SANDY PARKER REPORT, VOL. 32, ISSUE 22, JULY 14, 2008
The following extract is reproduced with permission from Sandy Parker Reports, Weekly International Fur News. Sandy Parker has been covering the fur industry for more than four decades. For most of that time he has published a weekly newsletter, detailing results of international pelt auctions, wholesale price trends, business developments and movements in the trade, as well as economic and political activities that may impact on it.
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International Fur News
with Sandy Parker
North American mink crop seen even
WITH THE MOST CRITICAL PERIOD FOR NEWBORN MINK KITS HAVING PASSED RELATIVELY UNEVENTFULLY, it now appears that this year’s North American crop will be roughly equal in size to last year’s or just slightly higher. Although near-record high prices paid at the auctions this season have encouraged some ranchers to expand their production, scattered problems with unfavorable weather conditions and disease have had a negative effect so as to curb that expansion.
Reports from the farms last week tended to support earlier indications that U.S. mink production will be off by 3% to 5%, while the Canadian crop will be up by that much. Because of the very nature of the business, the ranchers don’t have full control of conditions that affect production. Although they can control the breeding of their animals as far as numbers and genetics are concerned, they still have to count on favorable weather conditions, disease and other factors that may be beyond their mastery and which can affect their crops. According to data gathered annually by Oslo Fur Auctions, U.S. ranches produced 2.9 million mink in 2007 and their Canadian counterparts came up with 2.3 million. The new mink are now being vaccinated and a more accurate count is expected to become available shortly, when the vaccine suppliers report how many doses they sold.
THE NINTH INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC CONGRESS ON FUR ANIMAL PRODUCTION will be held Aug. 19-23 in Halifax, N.S. This year’s quadrennial session is sponsored by Canada Mink Breeders Association in conjunction with the International Fur Animal Science Association (IFASA). The congress will have four main themes: Genomics, reproduction and breeding; management, welfare and nutrition; health and disease, and a special workshop on litter size and early kit losses. There also will be a workshop on sustainability of fur farming. For further info, contact CMBA executive director Gary Hazlewood at (416) 675-9400.
IN THIS ISSUE:
N. Amer. Mink Crop Seen Even
World Production to Be Down
Further Cuts in Bluefox
Prices Seen Heading Upward
Trapping Pact Going into Effect
For extracts from back issues of Sandy Parker Reports see News Index. Subscribers can access an archive of complete issues at www.sandyparker.com.
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